Hybrid crops, income, and food security of smallholder families: Empirical evidence from poor states of India

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of adopting hybrid crops (rice and maize) on smallholder farm households' income and food security in two of India's poorest states (Bihar and Uttar Pradesh). We use two-stage endogenous treatment regression and farm household data from a survey by the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia during 2010–11. Findings suggest that adopting hybrid crops significantly increases smallholders' household income. Hybrid technology adoption also significantly increases smallholder households' food security. However, our findings indicate that the impact on income and food security is much higher for adopters of hybrid maize than for adopters of hybrid rice. These results show that hybrid crops enhance the welfare of smallholder farm families.